A Stranger's Caution--old version--
by MisterMadam
Summary: "Let's just say you willingly arrived in the Death Note world, you know the language, you know where you are, but most importantly—you know the plot line." Such is the situation "Jenny" has currently found herself in. Her first goal-find L. LxOC -rewriting in progress, currently discontinued- (old chapters still up)
1. Jenny

It's "fan-brought-into-the-Death-Note-world" fanfic! Recently I've had a bit of an obsession with these babies. Considering the utter lack of romance in Death Note, what fangirl wouldn't want to be L's love interest?

After reading so many fanfics of this genre/category, I though I'd give it a shot with my own interpretation.

Please R/R

Thanks c:

* * *

Let's just say you were able to enter the world of Death Note. Of Light, Ryuk, Misa, the Kira Investigation Team. The world of L. Forget about the how. Forget about the technicalities, the complications, the "logical explanation."

Let's just say you willingly arrived in the Death Note world, you know the language, you know where you are, but most importantly—you know the plotline.

(Let's just _not_ say…that I'm clearly being lazy and refusing the write out an entire explanation for "traveling into the Death Note world," but never mind that, things'll work out some how.)

* * *

The National Police Academy. Its towering white exterior grayed by the gloomy weather. Light, delicate snow floating lazily down to the tan, brick sidewalk before instantly disappearing, as if it had never existed. I stared at the sturdy column that stood in front of the building's glass entrance. "National Police Agency and National Public Safety Commission" was inlaid on a large rectangular plaque, centered on said column. I was here in the Death Note world…I knew the story…knew the future…so of course, the next thing to do—find L.

Slowly, I stepped towards the wide-stepped stair ascent towards the doors. I passed swiftly through the automatic sliding entrance and continued my pace to the front desk, where two suit-clad men sat facing opposite sides, typing away at their own respective computers. Bringing my feet to a stop, I glanced a couple times back and forth between the two men. My fingers tugged at my shirt, straightening it, then locked together behind my back as my arms shifted.

"Excuse me."

The two men looked up.

"Uh, hi," I waved half-heartedly.

They got up from the chairs and stepped up to the front of their reception area. The man on the left, with short hair and straight-cut bangs that covered half his forehead, flattened out his olive suit and asked, "Are you lost, miss?" in one of those "talking-to-a-child-sweetly" voices—I know he meant well, but honestly, come on, I didn't even look like a child.

"Uh…no, not really…" I gave a weak smile, "I was actually wondering if I could talk to someone from the Kira Investigation." Of course I knew they weren't in this building, they were in some hotel. But L did tell the team to always have a task member in the building, just in case an informant dropped by, or, in this case, me.

"The Kira Investigation?" Next to the olive suited man, a significantly taller man with a noticeably large nose questioned me with a minutely disbelieving tone.

"Yes. The _Kira_ Investigation, " I stressed, "I would like to talk to a member of the team, if you don't mind."

A quick look was shared between the two receptionists, both obviously unsure as to what to do. "Well…I suppose we can try calling, " said the taller one. He dialed a number and held the phone up to his ear. A few moments later, he spoke, "Hello? This is Hayami speaking, I, uh, " he stuttered momentarily, " I have a girl claiming to possess knowledge on the Kira case."

After what was presumably a quick reply and some instructions, the now identified Hayami handed me the phone. Bringing it to my ear, I hoped to hear L's voice.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end questioned.

Not enough monotone…it wasn't L. Didn't sound like Matsuda or the Chief. Maybe it was Aizawa…Mogi? Or maybe Ukita…if he was still alive. Slightly disappointed, I answered, "Yes?"

"I'm told you have information on the Kira case?"

"Yup." A simple answer.

"And what kind of information would that be?"

Whichever task force member this was…I didn't like the skeptical tone he was using on me.

A small pout hanging on the corner of my mouth, I replied, "Information that I would like to explain directly to the leader of this investigation, " meaning, of course, L. There was a longer-than-normal silence as I waited for a response.

"I'm the leader," I heard a most familiar monotone say.

I couldn't help but smile in excitement. I was talking to _L_. _The_ L! I wanted so badly to simply spill everything I knew about the plotline, but I knew that would be stupid, especially considering my current location. Hastily, I cleared my throat and, casting aside the two receptionists' odd looks, answered into the phone, "Name's Jenny." Being careful to take the necessary precautions to survive in this Death Note world, it was, of course, a fake name.

"And…how may I help you, Jenny-san," he seemed to state rather than ask.

"Like I said, I have information on the Kira case." Granted, my motives weren't exactly usual, but it wasn't lying, I really did have information of the case—very, _very_ valuable information. "I know I currently seem very suspicious, " I continued talking, " but I'm pretty darn sure you need as much information as you can get your hands on."

"That is true," was the indifferent reply I received. "I suppose we shall hear you out then."

Good. Now I was getting somewhere. "So," I began, "how's this going to work? I doubt telling you everything over the phone is safe…" I wanted to meet with L as soon as possible, but I knew he wouldn't so casually reveal himself to what he identified as a mere, potentially unreliable informant.

"That is also true, " the monotone spoke again, "I will send an investigator over to the Police Academy. Please meet with him and tell him the details. Is that satisfactory, Jenny-san?" His language, though formal, reflected his brilliant, mysterious, yet somewhat exaggerated—or even pretentious—personality.

I was a bit upset that'd I'd have to find some way to convince this investigator to take me to L…but I'd work it out somehow. "Yes, that sounds fine."

"Then, it was nice talking to you, Jenny-san, "he said with that low, airy voice.

"Likewise," I responded, bidding him goodbye; though of course, I planned on talking with him again in the near, near future. Afterwards, I found a seat on a metal bench by the large glass window panels lining the entrance walls, patiently awaiting this investigator's arrival. Which man would L send, I wondered. Probably one of the serious ones, like Aizawa. That would be okay and all…but he was a bit too glum for me. As I continued my ponderings, I wondered if Light had joined the team yet—just where in the plotline was I (time-wise)? What if L sent Light? That would be a depressing twist of fate, but with the fellow-investigator façade they put up, it was no doubt definitely a possibility. I prayed it wouldn't be Light, of _all _people, but I had a gut feeling it would be…life is, after all, a cruel jokester. Sighing heavily, I tried to mentally imagine what a meeting between us would be like. He'd have no reason to suspect me…but I'd have every reason to be immensely wary with him. How could I find a way to meet L without making Light suspicious…?

Thank God I'd thought about that.

No less than twenty minutes later, a tall, slender, brown-haired man passed through the Academy doors. Sighing inwardly, I cursed my luck; I knew it was going to Light. I mentally steeled myself, constantly reminding my nerves to calm their butts down. He knew nothing about me, I knew everything about him. He absolutely, positively mustn't discover the fact that I know his secrets.

"Are you Jenny-san?" An apparently kind voice met my ears.

Trying not to visibly flinch, I faked a smile, "Yes, that's me."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Light, " from the Kira Investigation Team."

Albeit reluctantly, I accepted his handshake and replied in pleasant-sounding tone, "Pleasure's mine." Forcing my manners out, I looked up to his eyes while speaking, in an attempt to act as unsuspicious as possible.

I cursed the fake innocence in his eyes.

* * *

Tell me what you guys think?

As a head's up, I don't plan on making this a sort of fluff-centric fanfic, so the romance might be a bit slow...sorry.

Thanks for reading~


	2. Roger Wammy

Here's chapter 2 (;

* * *

"Can you please come with me?"

I tossed him a questionable look.

"I was told to bring you to a more private talking area," he explained, chuckling lightly, "Don't worry it's nothing suspicious."

Even if the innocent act was fake…it looked pretty darn realistic. Had to give it to this guy, he was no doubt a great actor.

I returned with my own theatrical smile, "Alright. By the way, aren't you a bit young to be an investigator?"

As we were conversing, we walked out the glass Academy doors and, following his lead, onto the nearby sidewalk.

"I'm actually a university student," Light answered, "but I've been allowed to help with the investigation."

"You must be quite the detective then, "I continued the petty conversations.

He laughed lightly, "I suppose so." He pointed a finger around the block to the left, "Over there, there's a small café."

I looked to the left and saw said café as we entered the healthily busy building. Thinking to myself, I realized this must've been the café where L and Light had talked about the Kira case, so...we should be going to that "private" table.

As if on cue, he gestured toward said table in a far corner of the café, remarking that is was an unusually private place for such a busy place.

"Now," he began as we both took a seat on opposite sides, "can you tell me the information you have?"

I stared at him…he sure wanted to cut to the chase.

"On the Kira case, I mean, " he emphasized, supposedly thinking I didn't understand what he meant.

"Y-yeah…" I choked out, "Yes. Well, uh, where do you want me to start?" I stalled.

"Well, what kind of information do you have?" Light questioned, "A suspect?"

Time to wing it, I braced myself. I begged my brain to work with me, come up with some nice material and find a way to meet L…to stop Kira, to save L. Something like that at least, I figured.

I cleared my throat, "Mhmm, well, I think I might know someone who has information on Kira, " I lied.

Light took a short moment to measure the meaning of my words. "How so?"

I blinked a couple times and thought, If Light was part of the team…then the Sakura TV thing has happened already, Second Kira—Misa—has made her appearance…Ukita's been killed…I suppressed a frown. Back to the matter on hand. Sakura TV, I could use that. "An acquaintance of sorts was…acting funny, so to speak, when Sakura TV broadcast that Second Kira message, " I tried to sound as normal as possible, or however your average crime informant's supposed to sound. I was about to continue my faked explanation when an electronic ringing filled the air.

The Yagami son shifted a hand toward his pocket, "Oh, sorry," he apologized, "pardon me."

I gave a quick nod.

"Ryuuzaki." I heard him answer calmly.

After some short muffled sounds coming from the phone, Light pressed a button on his cell and turned to me. "It's the investigation leader. He wants to join our conversation. I've put him on speaker."

I secretly cheered for my own good luck; this was going to make things _much_ easier.

"Jenny-san?" said that oh-so-intelligent monotone.

"That's me," I spoke towards the cell, which was now open at resting on top of the empty table. "Ryuuzaki…yes?"

"Yes."

"I was just in the middle of questioning her Ryuuzaki," Light added in his polite voice, "she said an acquaintance of hers might have something to do with the Sakura TV incident that happened about a week ago."

"Jenny-san, what was the name of this 'acquaintance'?" L inquired.

This was a good chance, I thought, to get through to L.

"Roger," was my reply, "Roger Wammy." I prayed that this would work.

Might've just been me, but something sounded like a small gasp on the other side of the phone line.

"And please describe his behavior."

"Well," I took a moment to think, "I was at Wammy's House sitting near my friend Melody, watching a drama on TV when Roger suddenly walked in and changed the channel to Sakura TV…right when their Kira broadcast began. He also left the room basically right before those police men were killed...Overall he just seemed kind of out-of-it-giddy…y-y'know…?" I stuttered.

"I understand." L unemotionally replied. "Light-kun, you can return now. And…" there was a momentary pause, "please bring Jenny-san with you."

A look of shock swept across Light's face. This was—for once—something he didn't understand at _all_. "Wait a moment, Ryuuzaki, you want me to bring her to our _headquarters_?" he asked in disbelief.

On the other side of the line arose a wave of murmuring and muffled shouts, presumable the other Kira investigation team members asking the same question.

"Shall I send Watari to bring her over instead?"

The true Kira hesitated, "N-no, I'll bring her back with me…" he complied, knowing fully well that either way, L would end up bringing me anyways. Surely though, he was in truth deeply in thought, running through any reasons why L would be so willing to reveal the headquarters-and subsequently his identity-to me.

I hid a smirk.

"Then I shall see you soon, Jenny-san." L finished up the call and hung up.

I heard what I thought could've been a sigh as Light stood up from the booth we were at. "I suppose we should get going then, Jenny-san."

"Yeah, okay…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The walk to headquarters (whose location I currently did not know) was, simply put, completely silent. Granted, I didn't exactly feel like striking up a conversation with Kira, but it was a tad bit nerve-wracking. Light must've still been trying to decipher the reasons behind L's sudden acceptance of me—I was quite confident that he wouldn't figure it out, it wasn't information privy to him.

After an awfully long way of walking, he halted his footsteps in front of a classy looking hotel entrance. He turned to face me and told me to follow him in. Obliging, we continued our trek of utter silence to an empty elevator, up to the 22nd floor, down a hallway, and a couple left turns farther till finally arriving at a seemingly normal hotel room entrance. Light swiftly drew out a key card, swiped it, and grabbed hold of the door handle. With one quick push, he swung it open and stepped in, inviting me in with a simple "It's here."

Mind you at this time it was what I made out to be early evening, before dark. The room I entered was, however, late nighttime dark, save the unnatural glow of an array of television and computer screens that were scattered throughout the fairly large hotel room turned investigation quarters. Immediately after the door opened all present members of the team ceased their working and looked up at the arrival of I, the mysterious informant whom L had spontaneously decided to reveal himself to.

As I took in the sights, Light cleared his throat," This is Jenny-san." There was a bit of insecurity in his tone.

I focused my attention on the men who were staring at me and introduced myself. "Hello…I'm Jenny, as you all…already know." I was never good with introductions, always the awkward one.

The silence that followed was broken by the one who was perhaps the most optimistic of the bunch as he called out an, "I'm Matsuda."

I'd always liked Matsuda, nice guy. Sometimes needed to think things through, but still nice. I tossed him a short smile and a "nice to meet you" before the others began introducing themselves (albeit reluctantly).

"Mogi."

"Aizawa."

"Yagami, the chief."

"And also my father, "Light added in.

I lowered my head a slight ways in a sort of half-bow as I glanced at all the team members.

"Good evening, Jenny-san," said the one voice I was really looking forward to.

"Ah, that's Ryuuzaki," Matsuda clarified. (Though, of course, I was aware of that already.)

Holding back my excitement, I calmly answered, "Likewise, Ryuuzaki." I saw a tuft of messy black hair poking out from the top of a sofa. The owner of the hair raised a cloth covered arm and made a waving gesture with his pale hand.

"Over here, please take a seat, Jenny-san, " I heard him say.

Following his motion, I ventured over to the couch across from his and separated by a short coffee table. I took a seat on the upholstered cushion and saw him face to face. He sat in his signature position, two feet sinking rather deeply into the sofa padding, fingers curled and pinky pointed around a dainty cup of tea with sugar cubes poking out of it. (Or rather, a cup of sugar cubes with some tea drizzled over it…) He took a sip of the heavily sugared tea, set it down with clink, and turned his wide open, dark-rimmed, enigmatic, and calculative black eyes straight at me. I waited eagerly as he began to speak…

"Do you have somewhere to stay tonight, Jenny-san?"

* * *

And the story continues...

This is based pretty much on just what I, as a fan, would wish to do should such an opportunity have been given to me-I hope that clears up some writing motive questions?

Thanks(:


	3. Watari

Third chapter! Whoot!

I'm getting more and more excited as this goes. (:

* * *

"Wait, what?" was what I crudely choked out.

"I asked if you had a place to stay tonight," L repeated with unchanging calmness.

I squinted at him, trying to spot some sign of a lie on his face. (Not that I wasn't excited, I just didn't want to look like an idiot if, for some reason, he was joking. L makes jokes sometimes, right?)

"Please don't look at me so doubtfully," he said coolly.

Speedily, I turned my eyes away, minutely embarrassed. "No…I don't have anywhere to stay," I muttered, eyes still directed away.

"Then please feel free to stay here, Jenny-san," the dark-haired detective offered. The dark-haired, brilliant, world-famous,and mind you very visually appealing detective offered.

To me.

_Brilliant._

_World-famous._

_Visually appealing._

Heck yeah.

I cleared my throat, "I-I'll take you up on that offer then, thank you very much."

As usual, L spoke with a lack of emotion, contrary to his very positive words, "That is most splendid."

Just then, Aizawa's confused and agitated voice cut in, "Wait a second Ryuuzaki! We're not some boarding house for random children!" Again with calling me a child…I scowled. "We can't just let her stay here, this room is filled with top secret information!"

Chief Yagami sighed gruffly, "Aizawa has a point, this _is_ a bit careless…"

"It's not like you to do something so risky, Ryuuzaki," Light added in.

Without even turning around or shifting from his position on the couch, "Ryuuzaki" addressed their concerns, unfazed. "If you are all worrying about her being Kira, or the Second Kira, for that matter, I assure you, she is not," were his words of wisdom.

At that, all the investigators, save Light, were silenced.

"And what basis are you assuming this upon, Ryuuzaki?" Light questioned sternly.

"Hmm…" L held a tea-stirring spoon up in the air to catch the group's attention, "intuition, I suppose."

This time all the investigators were shocked quiet.

L let the silence drag on for a moment before adding, "That was a joke."

I suppressed a giggly laugh—this man and his love-it-or-hate-it humor.

"R-Ryuuzaki!" the brown-haired Yagami son was the first to react.

Bringing the thin, silver spoon down, L spoke in the same serious-sounding tone he used with his 'joke,' "I assure you all, she is not allied with Kira in any way, nor is she Kira or the Second Kira themselves."

"B-But," Matsuda stammered, "how can you be so sure?"

"That's right!" Mogi agreed instantly, "We just met her less than, what, an hour and a half ago?"

At this, a resounding clack of silverware against wood was heard as L set the spoon onto the coffee table. He nimbly brought one foot down to the carpeted hotel floor, had the other one follow suit, and rose to stand in his signature slouched stature.

"I am sure, "he said, beginning to turn to face the others, "because we have met before."

Once again, the others were feeling a surge of shock. This time, however, I was caught in it too. We've met before…what? I was utterly baffled…this guy was definitely lying…right?

Whether he noticed it or not, said guy disregarded the present puzzlement and stated, "She is an old acquaintance of mine. She is not Kira. Any more questions?"

A reluctant jumble of "No's" and "Okay's" followed afterward.

"You're sure you know what you're doing, Ryuuzaki," Light half-asked, half-criticized.

"Yes," "Ryuuzaki" responded with a hint of frivolity.

Seeing it best to not pry any further—for now at least—the investigation team recollected themselves and started getting back to work. I glanced at a clock that hung to the left of me (from the couch) on a blank, lightly colored wall. (What exact color it was, I couldn't tell…the lighting in the place wasn't really ideal.) It was twelve past nine o'clock at night. Good thing I had a place to stay, I smirked. My happy thoughts were (rudely) interrupted by the serious Aizawa's question.

"Should I start investigating this 'Roger Wammy'?"

Brain panic. No matter how hard they searched, they were never going to find "Roger Wammy." Not the one I was talking about, at least. I was trying to organize my mumbly-jumbly excuse of a thought processing-mind when L saved the day.

"No need, I will handle that myself. I am closer to Jenny-san, after all."

"Alright," Aizawa replied.

Safe! That could've turned out badly. I should've known that, with his more than superior intellect, L would've instantly deduced that investigating "Roger Wammy" was pointless and, in my case, incriminating even.

The others asked some of their own researching questions before focusing on their own respective files, videos, or reports. Watari, whom I'd finally taken a good look at, was promptly passing out his employer's (so to speak) favorite food "group"—sweets.

Typical.

After all the others had been served, Watari walked with his usual poise over to me and extended a slice of white, fruit-adorned frosted cake accompanied by a dainty fork on a plate. Gratefully accepting, I politely gave a "Thank you Watari," which was answered by a good mannered, "You're very welcome, Jenny-san."

"Eh?" Matsuda sounded perplexed. "How did you know Watari's name, Jenny-san? He didn't introduce himself, did he?"

This comment came just as I was about to eat that delicious first bite. My fork came to a stop, mere inches away from my open mouth—but only for a second—before I completed said bite. I forced a natural-looking smile after swiftly swallowing the cake and looked towards Matsuda. "Ryuuzaki said so before, didn't he? He and I have known each other for quite a while, so I've met Watari before as well." I congratulated myself—nice last minute answer.

"Ah, I see! Of course!" Matsuda chuckled in understanding. "I—"

"Matsuda! Get back to work!" Chief Yagami scolded the young, somewhat air-headed officer.

The dejected man mumbled a "Yes Chief…" and returned to his file work.

Later, when everyone was already absorbed in his own individual work and my cake was gone, I was getting a tad bored. Then again, considering I was at the Kira Investigation headquarters and no more than three feet away from both L _and_ Kira, perhaps "bored" isn't the right word. I was…unsure of what to do. What do I do when I'm "unsure of what to do"? I just look around. Aimlessly. Kind of like loitering. But with your eyes…or something? Nearby, I saw Mogi with a pair of headphones on sitting in front of a small television set. The screen showed "KIRA" written in crudely formed black letters. The Second Kira, I thought. Amane Misa, the peppy blonde. She'd always been a bit too "happy" and Light-obsessed for me. But then again that paled in comparison to murder. A scowl lined my face. Shaking it off, I glanced yet again at the clock on the wall—nine-forty. I groaned inwardly, it'd only been around half an hour…and here I thought I'd spent at _least_ a good hour watching the ol' investigation team working.

"Are you bored?" A voice asked out of the blue.

"Wha," was my clumsy response. I followed the sound's direction and saw the wide-eyed L staring at me. (Although, he basically always looks like he's staring) "Oh, Ryuuzaki. Just a bit, " I answered, this time coherently. "I'm fine."

"Feel free to retire for the night, Jenny-san " he continued. "The bedroom is to the left."

I considered the idea, figured I hadn't anything better to do, and accepted. "Sounds good." And so I sprung up from the couch and headed left towards the hallway, spotted the bedroom, entered the bathroom, freshened up a bit, and plopped on the bed. The bed was made perfectly and looked completely untouched, confirming the theory that L really never slept—not like "normal people on a bed," at least. Eventually, I suppose I'd fallen asleep, otherwise I wouldn't have been awoken by a calling voice.

Through half-asleep ears, I heard what I made out to be a muffled "Jenny-san?" I groaned and shifted in the bed, not wishing to wake up and break my semi-sleeping lazy trance.

"Jenny-san? Are you awake?"

I groaned again, this time in an effort to force myself awake. I covered a long yawn and slowly propped myself up on the mattress. "Mmph…Yeah…I'm awake." I rubbed my eyes as my cloudy vision cleared up.

"Watari?"

"Good morning Jenny-san." He spoke in his characteristically stately manner. "I apologize for awaking you so early in the morning," I glanced at the room's clock—4:30—and groaned yet again. "Ryuuzaki wishes to speak with you," Watari finished.

Turning my head back to face Watari, I murmured, "Ryuuzaki? Why?"

He simply gestured toward the door with a polite hand.

* * *

Sorry if this chapter felt a bit slowly every now and then ):

I wanted to keep everyone in character and the situation realistically portrayed, so I tried not to rush things.

Thanks~


	4. Lawliet

Enjoy chapter 4(: Finally some nice LxOC interacting!

R/R

* * *

I stared at Watari in his proper, neat suit. I stared at the door, wide open to the hallway. Then I stared at Watari again. All the while, he kept his position still and his hand pointed straight.

"Hmmm…." I mumbled, "Alright." I quietly scooted off the mattress and stood straight on the floor. Feeling weird with my shoes on in a carpeted room, I quickly slipped them off and felt the flooring's textured softness under my soles. Through the door I swiftly passed, and heard Watari's gentle steps following swiftly behind my soundless barefooted ones. In a matter of seconds, I was back in the main room area where the Kira headquarters was stationed. It was still a couple hours till sunrise, so the room was as light-lacking as before—if not darker. No one but L remained in the room for the rest had all gone home (presumably), and only four television and computer screens illuminated the room, contrary to the previous ten or so.

"Good morning Ryuuzaki…" my words were dragged out and mixed in with a yawn.

"You are quite the early riser, " L responded, not bothering to look away from the documents and video evidence he was studying.

My eyebrow twitched…You were the one who told Watari to wake me up, I frowned. I was about to voice my thoughts when the same white-haired, spectacled man asked if I'd like some tea. I turned away from L to give Watari a speedy "yes please." Before I could even turn back to face L, he spoke.

"Roger Wammy."

"What?" my voice was befuddled.

"'I was at Wammy's House sitting near my friend Melody'," he recited then rephrased with specific emphasis, "You were at _Wammy's House_ sitting _Near_ your friend _Mello-_dy. Is that correct?"

"Ohhh, so that's what this is about, "I responded in realization and understanding.

"Yes. That is what this is about," L's voice was a more stern and worked up than usual, "I would like you to explain."

He wanted me to explain…well…that would be a bit hard, to say the least. What was I supposed to say…_Hey, don't worry about it, I just watched you through a computer screen and stuff, that's how I know so much about you. By the way, Light is Kira and you're supposed to be killed by a death god. Y'know, no big deal. _I sighed in dejection and sauntered toward the couch I sat on last night. "It's…hard to explain," I finally said, knowing fully well it wasn't an answer he'd accept easily.

"Please try your best to do so then," he replied.

I wasn't going to try and make some lie up about being at Wammy's House or something…L would know it to be false instantly. The best option, I decided, maybe try to stall myself out of this and avoid a proper explanation? Didn't sound too promising, but hey, what the heck. By now, L was watching me carefully; studying, hypothesizing, calculating. "Look," I began, "I really can't explain it, but trust me, I don't mean any harm. You said it yourself, I'm not Kira, first or second."

"Indeed that is what I said, " the black-haired, black-eyed detective confirmed, "but I am a liar."

My mood dropped a bit, "So you _do_ think I could be Kira?"

"Yes, or perhaps the Second Kira "his words were blunt, "I said otherwise simply because you possess personal private information."

A sigh escaped from my mouth. So all that about "she's not related to Kira" and "she's an acquaintance of mine" must've all been the words borne from his wary suspicions. Darn. "Well," my words were bold, "if I'm Kira, then you should be dead." I didn't like the sound or feel of those words coming out of my mouth, but I was adamant to prove I was on his side.

"What do you mean?" L keenly asked.

I got up from the cushioned sofa and took a few strides to L, whose feet rested on an upholstered chair facing a wood table. I cupped a hand to my mouth and leant forward to his ear, whispering,

"L Lawliet."

The chair under Lawliet rocked, nearly toppling over, as he himself let out an astonished cry—one similar to his reaction upon hearing the Second Kira say "shinigami," I recalled. Reflexively, I backed away, but watched unsurely as he calmed down. He was definitely an odd one, I confirmed. He let out another resounding yell. Okay, he was still in the process of calming down. Undeniably, one hundred percent odd. But in a good way, of course.

"Ryuuzaki," Watari called out.

A frigid silence ensued.

"I am alright." Ryuuzaki's tone was unwavering calm, as if the previous panic attack had just been an illusion.

"Excellent," Watari, too, had quickly recollected himself. "I'll get the tea then." He must've been used to this, I guessed. Less than a minute later, he brought a tray with two teacups, sugar cubes, two stirring spoons, and a small container of milk to the coffee table. L traveled over, picked up a teacup with the small plate under it, and took his usual position on the couch opposite to me, who had sat down once again.

"You are an intriguing person," L Lawliet commented in between two sips of tea.

"Thanks…I think." I suppose that was a compliment?

"You said before that, if you were Kira, I would be dead."

"Yes, that I did."

"But if you were Kira, you would've needed to see my face to kill me."

"I suppose that's true."

"And now you have seen my face."

"That's right…" I understood that L was a detective and he had every reason to be suspicious, but I wasn't enjoying this interrogation.

"It would be obviously incriminating should I die right after encountering you. Therefore, my being alive potentially just means you are being cautious."

Well, he sure as heck was right about that. Only an idiot Kira would reveal herself to all the people hunting her down and then kill their leader less than a day after. "Yes but, " I retorted, "how would Kira have gotten hold of all that top secret information? If Kira was able to get a hold of your true name, then wouldn't getting a hold of your face be a piece of cake?"

L interrupted me, "'Getting a hold of my face' sounds a bit crude, Jenny-san."

That ill-timed humor…

The "comedian" resumed talking, "Your logic, however, is understandable. But could not you be the Second Kira?"

_This_ was frustrating. "I suppose it seems like I could, "I spoke swiftly, "but why would I go through all that Sakura TV trouble and reveal to the world that I can kill with just a face when I could've just infiltrated the investigation headquarters first? That way, if you had died without any of us having access to your real name, how could anyone suspect me? I mean, if I wanted to get Kira's attention, I could've done it after killing you. That would've been way smarter." I was going on a logical-explanation roll.

Lawliet kept his eyes wide open, ears keen, and thumb up near a agape mouth as he simply listened to my rising voice.

"As I thought Jenny-san, you are a bright girl."

I snapped out of my near-yelling state. "What?"

"You are quite the quick, logical thinker," he added.

I looked at him with skeptical confusion, then instant understanding. I had been duped.

"You just wanted to see if I could prove my own innocence!" I accused.

"I was merely measuring the scope of your deductive abilities, " he explained.

I scowled grimly.

He complimented me in a monotone, "You did exceptionally well."

Then I sighed—I should've known L would do something like this.

"So I'm innocent, yeah?"

"Yes, Jenny-san." He gave one of those irresistibly adorable smiles…oh my goodness, I almost died.

* * *

Unfortunately, now that school's starting up again, updates are going to be a bit slower. ): I wish I'd started this fanfic earlier in the summer, but please bear with me. I'm hoping to get a chapter up _at least_ every other day, but I can't promise anything as we get farther into the school year.

Thank you!


	5. Why is She Still Here?

FINALLY, CHAPTER FIVE IS UP!

I'm so sorry all of you, I know I'd said that I'd try to update every two or so days, but school had me infinitely busier than I thought it would. ): I've been occupied with a lot of new class material, clubs, and student council managing, so I've been deprived of fanfiction time and anime/manga time in general...it's been a bittersweet week or two.

This chapter's a bit slow...I'm really sorry, but I needed to add it in to avoid rushing the events. It's a bit like a filler, which I know can become tedious reads, but I honestly promise that it's finally getting to the excitement!

Nonetheless, please enjoy! c:

* * *

That first morning with the investigation team was…a little less than "cordial." Other than Matsuda, who was genuinely kind, the other investigators openly emitted "you-are-not-welcome-here" skepticism waves via their aura or glare.

I'd gone back to sleep after L and I had finished our little talk and gotten another four or so peaceful hours of sleep in. When I stepped out of the bedroom, now willingly and readily awake, I was met with the sounds of keyboard clacking and paper shuffling in a sunlit room—finally, some _lighting_ around here! I received and replied to "good mornings" from only Watari and Matsuda. The others, Aizawa and Chief Yagami, showed no interest in my entrance. (A/N: I took out Mogi because…as I'm re-watching certain anime episodes to remind myself about the storyline, I'm noticing that Mogi's missing from the investigation quarters quite often. I'll probably just have him show up every now and then randomly; it won't affect the storyline.) Fair enough, I thought, I get that me being here made little to no sense to them, and seemed incredibly dangerous for the case. At least they weren't rudely kicking me out. I flopped down on the couch, one arm lazily hanging over the armrest.

"Breakfast, Jenny-san?"

I looked up to my right and saw a proper Watari balancing a tray of food in front of me with his work-weathered hand. A dainty coffee-filled cup sat next to a simple china plate with toast on it, garnished with sliced strawberries. Quite cute looking, I remarked.

"Yes please, Watari, "I answered, reaching out to take the tray, "thanks."

He gave his usual, mannerly "your welcome" and went on to go about his business which, from what I knew, ranged from things like cooking and serving to deep reconnaissance, technical support, and detective work. The man's far more than just your ordinary butler.

Before he could get too far, I called out to the whitish-grey haired gentleman, "Hey, Watari, is Ryuuzaki here?"

He turned to face me, "No, Ryuuzaki has left for college," he answered stately.

I nodded my head in understanding, "Ah, I see."

"Would you like me to contact him for you, Jenny-san?"

"Oh, no," I clarified, "just wondering."

"Very well." With this, Watari went back to his extraordinary-butler-detective work.

That was about all the conversation I got in for that day until Ryuuzaki returned from college in the early evening. (He, for some reason, decided to attend that day…like _he_ needed college.)

However, even after his return, there wasn't much for me to do. Everyone was completely absorbed in their own respective investigating and there was no time for petty conversation. I watched Aizawa reviewing the package and tapes that Misa had sent, shoulder pressing a phone against his ear as he flipped through some nearby files.

"I need results as soon as possible, it's urgent," I heard him say. "I know, I know, just…try, please," he paused to listen to the answer from the other side of the line, "okay, yes, thanks." Aizawa shifted a hand over the set the phone back onto the receiver, then turned his charcoal swivel chair to face L's direction with one sharp motion.

"The lab's still working on it, Ryuuzaki," were his words.

"I understand," L replied, "We will just have to wait then." The ingenious detective then followed up with, "Aizawa-san, please continue investigating the duplicate tapes and information files we have gathered on the Second Kira."

The Japanese man with the mild-afro immediately complied, "Well, based on what you and Light have said, it's likely that the Second Kira is a woman, probably a fairly young one." (A/N: just in case some of you have forgotten, L mentioned that many of the targeted victims during the Sakura TV incident were "from women's magazines or talk shows"—something like that, I believe.) Aizawa placed a hand on some stacked files, "Other than that, " he sighed, "there isn't much new information I've found."

All the while, I was watching the two exchange words, mainly out of pure boredom—the need to watch something, _anything, _minutely interesting lest my brain shrivel and die from lack of usage. I must've found their conversation more intriguing than I thought, or at least _appeared_ more interested than I was, for Light's suspicions were roused.

"…-san? Jenny-san?" I was suddenly aware of someone calling my name. (or rather, pseudonym) Light must've called for me a number of times as I saw the whole lot of the investigators watching and waiting for me to respond.

After finally gaining my concentration back, I answered, "Light? Yeah, what's wrong?"

"Are you alright?"

I combed my fingers through my hair, "Yeah, I'm fine, " was my honest reply, "why?"

In his nice-guy voice, Kira explained, "Nothing, it's just that you seemed awfully interested in Aizawa-san and Ryuuzaki's conversation about Second Kira and the possibility that he _or she _is indeed a _woman," _he wasn't very reserved with his word emphasizing.

Obviously, everyone understood what he was implying; I was "indeed a _woman_" in the same manner as Second Kira; he still didn't trust me (understandable), and was suspicious that I, based on my interest in the previous conversation and contrary to what was said before, _did_ know something about Second Kira (also understandable). No matter what though, I still didn't enjoy these one-sided interrogation sessions at all—cue the inward sigh.

"I admit, I was listening quite carefully," I reasoned, "but I was just bored…seeing as I'm here doing absolutely, positively _nothing_ all day…" following my words was a small pout. "Besides, you have to admit this whole 'Second Kira' thing is pretty interesting," I saw the investigators giving me stern looks, "…for _me,_ at least…" they continued their judgmental staring, "I mean, not a _good _interesting or anything…" I explained clumsily.

Japanese task force. No change in emotion.

This talk was going nowhere—fast.

Then came my saving grace…

the phone rang! (talk about good timing)

The ringing in the air seemed to snap everyone back into their work modes. Aizawa, who was closest to the calling phone, swiftly answered across the line and began conversing away in his most serious tone. Chief Yagami sat at a desk near Aizawa, typing keys with his right hand, his left holding up a file of some sort. Matsuda returned to his filing task, and Light swiveled in his chair back to the myriads of papers sprawled across his working area. After a few minutes, things had calmed to their original pace, and I was left sitting in the background once again.

I returned to my usual position on the hotel couch and sat down quietly. Back straight, feet on the ground, and hands folded across my lap, I said nothing and stared out into space. At this point, I was caught in that uncomfortable situation where it's immensely awkward when you stay and do nothing, but too conspicuous to get up and randomly leave. Honestly, what's a girl supposed to do at a time like this?

Then came saving grace number two…

L.

"Jenny-san?" A somehow gentle monotone broke through my dazed trance.

My head jerked to the left to face Ryuuzaki. "Yes?"

"It's getting quite late, perhaps you should retire for the night." I could tell even through his lack of vocal emotion that he was trying to help me "escape."

I looked behind me at the wall where an analog clock hung; 10:48…late enough, I figured.

"Good idea, I will then, "I mouthed a thank you in his direction and, not knowing whether or not he caught it, quickly and silently leapt off the couch and towards the suite's guest bedroom.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The next day, after I'd put the previous night's uncomfortable happenings behind me, I awoke to discover everyone else still dwelled on them.

"Why is she still here?" A slightly muffled, but clearly stern voice chastised. It sounded more interrogative than accusatory.

Aizawa.

When I heard this, my previously swift step stopped just short of the hallway's turn into the main room. Any idiot could see (or…hear?) where this conversation was going.

"I understand that she's you acquaintance, Ryuuzaki, " this voice was presumably Light, "but this is an investigation headquarters for the Kira case, what if something happens?"

"I also think it's wrong to let her stay too long…" a less flurried tone agreed.

Even you, Matsuda? I pouted.

Then came my defender.

"I recall telling you all multiple times that Jenny-san is in no way a threat to our investigating. If anything, she is an aid."

The elder Yagami retorted, "What do you mean, Ryuuzaki?"

"Didn't you say so yourself that there were no leads on 'Roger Wammy'?" Light backed his father up.

"That is true," the dark-haired genius concurred, "however, that is not the aid I am speaking of," L paused momentarily, "I am speaking of having Jenny-san join the investigation."

* * *

I'm sure you can all already tell...that whole chapter was basically just me building up to this last sentence that L says...hahaha...I hope you were all okay with that. But I'm also sure you can tell that this cliffhanger's going to make the next chapter quite interesting (;

(Oh and, also, I hope you guys don't think I dislike Aizawa or something. I've noticed that I'm antagonizing him a bit when it comes to Jenny. It's just because I think he's the more serious, no-nonsense on of the group...that's all it is. He'll soften up to Jenny soon enough c: )

Thanks!


	6. Author's Note, Sadly

Hey everyone...

First of all, my deepest apologies to all who thought this was a new chapter (especially since I haven't updated for a while). ): I'm sorrryyyyyyyyyy, but it's actually and unfortunately quite the opposite.

With the much appreciated help of a reader who may or may not want to be named (I don't know :I), I've realized that I'd like to rewrite the story with a new but still similar approach. I had a plot planned out for this story, but it wasn't working out as well as I'd hoped. Therefore, by restarting, I'm hoping to develop a story that Jenny can really thrive in-and where my planned plot can take full effect. There's a lot of loopholes I want to close up and loose ends I'd like to tie up as well.

**So..._this version _of the story will be discontinued ):**

I'm so sincerely sorry :C I hate to be that author who cuts the story short (oh goodness the boundless despair I feel when my favorite fanfics are discontinued!), but I hope you guys can understand accept my reasons for this Dx I really want to make this baby the best it can be!

**Nevertheless, thanks so much for all the reviews and favorites, each one filled me unhealthfully large amounts of happiness!**

**I will get the new story up ASAP!**

Until next time then...

Thanks again!


	7. Author's Note, Gladly!

Hey everyone! It's been over a month since I stopped this story, but...

** I finally got the new one posted up** on my profile(:

(I figured I'd leave a little note here on the old one just to tell you guys.)


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